Flow information, such as mass flow rate of fluids in a wellbore, is useful for efficient management of hydrocarbon-producing wells or other types of wells. Flow rate data can be used to adjust or improve flow rates from particular zones within the well, to diagnose potential problems, or to trigger alarms. In combination with structural reservoir information, zonal flow rate data can be used to identify those reservoir bodies subject to depletion and which bodies could subsequently benefit from injection of fluid from a separate wellbore so as to maintain reservoir pressure. In combination with geological measurements such as relative permeability, flow information can be used to determine which flowing zones are producing hydrocarbon.
Conventionally, flow rate sensors, such as spinner devices run on a cable, are used to measure flow rates in a wellbore. Using such a mechanism to measure flow rates in a wellbore typically involves shutting in the well for an extended time period during which equipment for performing the measurement is set up, the spinner devices are run on a cable into the well, and the flow measurement data is taken.
Another technique for measuring flow rates is to use a venturi technique, in which a pressure drop across a particular orifice is measured to enable flow rates to be determined. Orifice-based devices tend to restrict an inner diameter of the tubing or completion in which hydrocarbon or other fluid flows.
Yet another technique of determining flow rates is to deploy an optical fiber into the well, where the optical fiber can be used to acquire temperature data and variations in that temperature allow inferences of flow. However, in certain scenarios, deploying optical fibers may not be desirable or practical and, more generally, it is difficult to place the optical fibers over only certain sections of a completion.